Moyer: The old man and the "W"

When Colorado Rockies pitcher Jamie Moyer defeated the San Diego Padres to become the oldest pitcher (49) ever to record a major league victory, I couldn't help but think back to the spring of 1993, when Moyer joined the Orioles after missing the entire 1992 season in the minor leagues with the Detroit Tigers organization.

It looked like it might be his last stand. He was 30 years old and had won a total of just two major league games over the previous three seasons, but he would salvage his career with a 12-9 record and 3.43 ERA for the Orioles in Camden Yards' 1st Anniversary Season. He remained with the Orioles for three seasons before staging a breakout 13-3 season with the Red Sox and Mariners in 1996 and morphing into one of the winningest starting pitchers in baseball for the next decade.

Couldn't happen to a nicer guy ... seriously. Moyer is a classy guy who proves every day that you don't have to throw 95 miles per hour to be a successful pitcher. You don't even have to throw 80 miles per hour, apparently. He has made three starts for the Rockies so far and pitched 17 2/3 innings. He lost his first two decisions, but that's a little deceptive since his ERA through those first three starts is 2.55, which ranks ninth in the NL among pitchers who have started three games.